Method and apparatus for producing moving-picture cartoons



w. F. AHBE. METHOD AND APPARATU S FOR PRODUCING MOVING PICTURE CARTOONS;

APPLICATION FlLEP NOV- 28, I919- 1,416, 154. Patented May 16, 1922.

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MOVING PICTURE CARTOONS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-28,1919.

. 1,416,154 Patented May16,1922.

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F. A'BIBE, O F CHICAGO, ILI"INOIS.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MOVING-PICTURE CARTOONS.

To all whomit may concern:

, Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. AHBE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi- .cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use-c ful Improvements in a Method and Apparatus for Producing Moving-Picture Cartoons, ofwhich the following is a descrip pictures, particularly moving pictures, and

especiall relates to a method and apparatus for pro ucing films in which there may be combined living characters in their p'a'rticu lar surroundings together with animated cartoon characters or other features drawn with pen and ink according to the fa'ncyof the cartoonist. and apparatus the cartooncharacter or characters drawn with the pen in accordance with the fancy of the artist can be so animated to play any or all parts of a photo-.

play, or the like, and by parts, I mean the character assigned to the actor in a play. The cartoon character or'characters may appear in a scene without the aidof a living character or characters. The same is different in all respects from the present so-calle d' animated cartoon pictures because the surroundmgs or settings would be shown, that is to say, if a street was a setting, the sur-- roundings would be actually a moving-picture of'a street in all its details with its every day trafiic moving about, or whatever the particular setting might be.

The present invention has among its objects, the production of. novel, interesting and entertaining pictures and simple, convenient, efiicien-t and satisfactory apparatus for carrying out the method and producing the pictures. The same has among its further objects the employment of a method and the production of an apparatus that will assist the cartoonist in getting natural movements on the'part ofhis character or characters, as well as the living character 1 or characters in the scene. Many other objects 'and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious.

to those skilled in the "art, from the disclosure herein given I 4 To this end my lnventlon conslsts of the Specification of Letters Patent. t td M 1 Application filed. November 28, 1919. Serial No. 341,078.

By means of my method .in Figure 2, V i

Figure i is a perspective view of a cartoonists stand and projector combined illustrating the apparatus. and a further step in the method of producing the film,

Figure 5 is a plan view of the sketch resulting from the step in the method illustrated in Figure '4, v I 7 Figure 6 is a perspective view of the sketch shown in Figure 5-. and a camera illustrating another step in the method,

Figure 7 is a portion-of a negative film resulting from the photographing of successive sketches as in Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a plan view of a portion of .a positive film or print of the negative shown intFigure 7,

Figure 9 is a similar view of the same film with the character opaqued or filled'inf ready to be projected as the result of the steps and the use of the apparatus illustrated.

Referring to the drawings 1 and .2 represent the characters playing their respective parts, and 3 the background, 4 being a moving picture machine. In this particular scene, 1 plays the part that is intended for the cartoon character, the same not being necessary or essential, but, nevertheless, very desirable as'it helps the cartoonist in getacter or characters.

After the pictures'are taken the film is i developed, producing a negative, for example, similar to that indicated by 5 in Figure 2. After the production of the negative a positive print or film 6, shownin Figure 3, is produced by the usual methods. This positive film 6 is that used by the cartoonist to assist him in producing his characters or cartoons, and while the negative can be used for this purpose the positive is more convenient. As sho'wn, the positive film is arranged in a projector 11 consisting of the usual film-carrying standard '7, having means 8 arranged to move the film in a step .by step movement so that each picture on the film may be displayed to suit the artist. As shown, this is arranged to be actuated by the actuating rod 10, or the equivalent, the mechanism being so arranged that it simultaneously winds the film in the box 9. The projector consists of the usual light box 12 and lenses 13 andlt. The projector is arranged to project the picture on the under side of a top 15 of the stand onto a glass plate 16, over which is arranged paper 17. The picture is focused upon the drawing paper and the artist has before him all of the characters and the background shown in the film 6. He is enabled to. produce his character on the drawing paper to suit his fancy, for example, as indicated in Figure 5, in which 18 represents the body and 19 the head of the character.- He makes this to suit himself, varying it as he may desire. This can follow the outlines of Figure 1, but 1f he does not desire this assistance, he can modify it as he wishes. Obviously the char- .acter 1 shown in Figure 1 may. if desired,

be clothed or made up in a particular manner, making it much easier for the cartoon- 1st to draw in the figure. However, he is not confinedto copying the projected figure.

After producing his drawings, which are in consecutive order and preferably numbered or 'filed so that he may have the same in sequence, the same are photographed. This step is illustrated in Figure 6, in which 20 represents the camera arranged to suecessively take a picture of the successive sketches. After the film has been developed,

the result is a negative 21 similar to that shown in Figure 7, and from thisne gative a positive film or print 22 is produced, as indicated in Figure 8. The artist then takes the positive film orprint and fills in the character on features with a suitable nontransparent color or opaque, so that in the succeeding steps in the method that particular portion orfeature may be thereafter should be so constructed and adjusted that there is no slipping, sliding or relative play .or movement between the films after once adjusted. The positive print 22 is preferably placed on the inside or next to the light. The negative film 5 is then placed so as to bring it between the opaque positive 22 and an unexposed positive film or raw stock 23..

The three films must beproperly threaded or assembled so that the action of both 22 and 5 registers the starting point or first aperture of each of the three, films marked. They are then run through the machine or, as termed in the art, the unexposed positive film is printed. Obviously, owing to the opaqued portions on film 22', portions of film 23 corresponding to the,,cartoons will notbe printed. After this, film23 is rolled back to the starting point and the negative film 21 substituted for film 5, film 22' being removed, the negative filnr 21 being arranged to re ister the same as positive film 22 did. After both films are properly threaded or arranged in the machine, starting on the first aperture, they are run through or printed. This is called double printing, as the positive film indicated by film 23 has been twice printed. This completes the several steps in so far as the exposing and the printing is concerned, and film 23 is then developed, producing a negative from which a print 25 may be produced similar to that shown in Figure 13. Additional negatives may be made, termed secondarynegatives, from the positive print or film 25; Wherever I specify film in the specification or claims, I wish to be understood as including any equivalent for the purpose. l

From the preceding it will be obvious that when the film 25 is produced on the screen, there will be shown substantially what is shown at the time ofthe taking of the pictures, as illustrated in Figure 1, with upon his skill andthe subject that he has in mind. Thus it is to be seen that it is combined with'a natural scene and an imaginary one, which when reproduced, or thrown on the screenfrom the finished film, will appear lifelike and natural. As before mentioned, it is not necessary to use the character 1, which in this case rep-resents cartoon figures except as an aid to the artist. Various obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made'in the same without departing from the spirit of fny invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

W hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of producing animated cartoon films, consisting in combining a negative and an opaqued positive, and printing a film print therefrom, thence re-printing said print with the negative from which said opaqued positive was produced.

2. The method of producing animated cartoon films, consisting in'combining' a negative film and an opaqued positive film in a predetermined manner, and printing a film print therefrom, thence re-p-rinting said print with the negative from which said opaqued positive was produced, arranged to correspond with the prior arrangement of said opaqued positive.

3. A method of producing a print, consisting in first making a negative, thence making a second negative of a desired feature, and printing a positive therefrom, thence opaquing features printed on said positive, thence printing a positive from the first mentioned negative and said opaqued POSlt-lVQCQIHblDBd, thence using the second mentioned negative, and re-printing the positive in the unexposed portions covered by said o-paqued positive features, whereby a positive is produced, combining'the features of bothof said negatives.

4. A method of making pictures consisting in producing a film feature negative from sketches, thence utilizing a print therefrom to produce substantially a secondary negative and combining the same witha desired negative and printing a positive therefrom, thence arranging .the feature nega tive and re-printing the positiye with. the feature negative whereby the features are printed in the portions covered by the secondary negative during the first printing.

5. A method of producing moving picture films consisting inproducing moving picture negatives, thence utilizing 831d negatives, to assist in producing a series of sketches,-thence photographing the sketches in regular order to'produce negatives thereof, thence making positive prints of the sketches from said last mentioned negatives, thence opaquing' the said features onsaid positive prints, thence printing. positive prints from the first mentioned negatives and said opaqued prints combined, thence before development reprinting said positive prints with the second mentioned negatives, whereby the sketches are reproduced in the portions covered by the opaqued prints in the first printing.

6. A method of producing moving picture films consisting in producing moving picture negatives, thence utilizing said nega-' said positive prints with tthe second men--v tioned negatives arranged to register with the exposures in the prints corresponding to the prior arrangement and registry of the prints and the opaqued prints, whereby the sketches are reproduced in the portions covered'by the opaqued prints in the first printing.

7. A method of producing pictures consisting in producing two negatives of the desired features to be combined, thence producing a secondary negative from one of the first mentined negatives, thence printing a positive film from one negative and the secondary negative, thence reprinting with the negative from which said secondary negative was produced. i 8. A method of producing picture films, consisting in projecting a. picture 'froma positive film on a drawing sheet and with its aid producing a desired sketch, thence photographing the sketch and producing a printing a positive, thence with the sketch negative reprinting same to produce a-posi-' tive containing the features ,of the desired 9. The method of producing animated cartoon films, consisting in making a drawnegative and the character sketch combined.

ing of a portionof a scene to be produced,

making a partially opaque positive correthereof, combining said positive with a negative -.of a scene and .printing a film print sisting in producing two negatives of the desired features to be combined, then producing a secondary negative comprising opaque features corresponding with the fea- 1 0 12c spending with saiddrawing or any portion tures upon one of the first-mentioned nega- In testimony hereof, I have hereunto tives, then printing a positive from the other signed my name in the presence of two subof the first-mentioned negatives combined sci-lbing witnesses.

with the said secondary negative, and then WILLIAM F. AHBE. reprinting said positive with the detail fee- Witnesses: ture negative corresponding with said see- ROY W. HILL,

' ondarynegative. BERTHn HARTMANN. 

